Saturday night during the 2013 SOBE Wine & Food Fest, the Ritz Carlton Hotel South Beach was transformed into a grand 1950’s Havana night with marvelous food, music, and dancing!!  “A Red Hot Night” presented by Target celebrated Miami’s Hispanic culture and filled the night with salsa music and the aroma of Latin cuisine.  The event hosted by celebrity chef Ingrid Hoffman, featured fantastic music by the Celia Cruz All Stars and DJ Africa, and superb food by some of Miami’s best and brightest Latin chefs.   

The red-hot theme exemplified the Latin spirit while representing Target’s branding which was intertwined in all of the visuals and decor, from the logo on the napkins to the huge LED screens projecting Target logos throughout the night and the huge, exquisite red chandeliers hanging from the ceiling of the tent.

Featured Latin dishes included Chef Hoffman’s shrimp and scallop paella and a Cuban Croque Señor sandwich, a yucca rellena from Larios on the Beach, a pork sandwich with garlic sauce made by Adrianne Calvo, as well as flan de queso by Susie’s Scrumptious Sweets and mini desserts (mousse de maracuya, alfajores, pavlova de fresas, and trufas de chocolate) by Piononos.  On the down side, having frozen turkey meatballs and eggrolls by Target’s Archer Farms brand was a bit of a disappointment considering the other options presented.  Also, while everyone was excited to taste the offering by Sushi Samba it turned out to be a lackluster dessert ceviche.

As for the most important thing, i.e., the cocktails!!   While I have to admit that serving boxed wine at an international wine & food fest seems perplexing (again, we get that it is your store brand), the Wine Cube wine selections were actually OK.  They offered a Chardonnay, Red Blend, and Sangria.   All were OK, but nothing special.  In addition, they served specialty rum cocktails made with Miami Club Rum (distilled right in Miami) which were all very tasty.  I was actually very impressed with the taste and consistency of the drinks because they were pre-mixed and in large server tubs under the bar to supply the masses of attendees in a speedy manner and it did not affect quality at all.   The Target Red Passion Daiquiri, a mix of light rum, simple syrup, passion fruit juice, lime juice and a bit of powdered sugar to top it off, was a good blend of sweet and smooth.  The Mo-Tea-To (Rum Tea) was an interesting twist on the traditional mojito, made with Pure Leaf Iced Tea, light rum, lime, fresh mint, and a splash of grenadine.  It was light refreshing, but with a little kick.  It was definitely my favorite!  The drink menu was rounded out by a Classic Caipirissima, made with light rum, granulated sugar, fresh lime juice and topped with crushed ice.  This rendition of the classic was also delicious. 

Fue una gran noche al rojo vivo!!!!